It was a perfect night for baseball in St. Louis before Game 3. Prior to Game 2, the Red Sox had won eight straight World Series games, including a sweep of the Rockies in 2007. (Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post)

ST. LOUIS — Todd Helton’s successor was briefly within reach last week, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the Rockies’ bid for free agent first baseman Jose Abreu.

The Rockies aggressively pursued the Cuban superstar. I reported last week that they placed multiple bids on the 6-foot-3, 250-pound slugger. The amount was unknown. This weekend, sources said the Rockies reached $63 million, just shy of the White Sox’s winning bid of six years, $68 million.

Rockies’ ownership gave clearance to spend the money on Abreu. It’s unlikely that the Rockies would reach $60 million on another free agent this winter. Abreu was unique because of his age — he’s 26 — and power. Given the success of countrymen Yoenis Céspedes and Yasiel Puig, he represented a worthy gamble.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.